A Coach-Initiated Motivational Climate Intervention and Athletes' Perceptions of Group Cohesion in Youth Sport

• Published in: Sport, exercise, and performance psychology Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 113 - 126
• Main Authors: McLaren, Colin D., Eys, Mark A., Murray, Robyn A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Educational Publishing Foundation 01-05-2015
• Subjects: Adolescent Attitudes; Athletes; Athletic Participation; Coaches; Female; Group Cohesion; Human; Intervention; Male; Motivation; Soccer; longitudinal analysis; group dynamics; experimental field design; youth sport; coaching behaviors
• ISSN: 2157-3905; 2157-3913
• DOI: 10.1037/spy0000026

The current study examined the influence of a motivational climate intervention with recreational youth soccer coaches on athletes' perceptions of group cohesion. Results of a repeated-measures MANOVA demonstrated a significant Time × Condition interaction, p < .01, ηp2 = .09, with follow-up univariate tests indicating differences between groups for perceptions of both task, p = .02, ηp2 = .05, and social cohesion, p = .01, ηp2 = .06, across time. In essence, coaches in the motivational climate intervention had athletes who demonstrated elevated perceptions of task and social cohesion by the end-of-season measure (.44 ≤ Cohen's d ≤ .49). Overall, results (a) highlight the efficacy of the motivational climate intervention with coaches through increased perceptions of task-focused behaviors, and (b) demonstrate the ability to positively influence perceptions of cohesion in youth sport through a manipulation of basic coaching behaviors. Implications and future directions are offered as they relate to team-building interventions and adherence in a youth sport context.